The invention relates to a device for manual replacement and transport of a roller of a copying machine or an electrophotographic printer.
Copying machines known in the form of copiers in which a roller is replaceable and transportable for service purposes. The roller can be equipped with a carrying apparatus, in which it can turn freely around its center axis. The copier for its part has rollers for routing through and delivering a toner image-bearing recording medium in the form of a sheet or strip, which rollers can be operated in rotation in an adjoining, axially parallel arrangement in the bearing points of the machine, and are supported by their axial ends. A manually activated device is provided for releasing the rollers in their bearing points and for separating the rollers in the radial direction for purposes of removing them from their hearing points and inserting them into their bearing points.
EP-0 000 631 B1 discloses a copier in which the fixing unit for toner image-bearing sheets of paper can be removed laterally from the copier for service purposes and has a manually actuated swiveling lever system for release of the fixer/heating roller. The fixing/heating roller, for replacement and carrying, has a carrying device in the form of a single U-shaped carrying handle which is located rigidly on a U-shaped holding frame spaced in the middle between the axial ends of the fixing/heating roller and radially to the center axis of the roller. The U-shaped holding frame on its free U-leg ends has one bearing each for one of the axial ends of the roller in which it can be freely turned. Moreover the holding frame on the outside on its free U-leg ends has cube-shaped, separate bearing blocks which are connected rigidly to the leg ends and by which the fixing/heating roller can be inserted into the U-shaped bearing points of the fixing unit and removed.
The problem of this disclosed embodiment is that when using large, heavy fixing/heating rollers, for purposes of improving fixing quality, it is difficult to replace and carry the fixing/heating roller without jamming and damaging by a single carrying handle. Further, removing a hot fixing/heating roller and placing it in the transport container is difficult without endangering the service personnel and damaging the roller.
Therefore the object of the invention is to provide a device which makes it safer and easier to carry out customer service of the machine, especially replacement and transport of hot, heavy and large rollers, and moreover has a simple, compact, economical structure. The object is achieved by a device including a protective container which can be preferably slipped over a roller which has been released in the device and its carrying apparatus. The roller can then be removed from the bearing points of the device for example with the protective container slipped on by its carrying apparatus which project out of the protective container and can be placed again into the bearing points.
The object is achieved as claimed in the invention with a device as claimed in claim 1 by there being a protective container which can be preferably slipped over a roller which has been released in the device and its carrying means. The roller can then be removed from the bearing points of the device for example with the protective container slipped on by its carrying means which project out of the protective container and can be placed again into the bearing points.
Advantageously the protective container has an essentially U-shaped cross sectional profile with an inside cavity for holding a roller which has a diameter which is larger than one outside diameter of the roller. Accordingly, in the protective container which has been slipped onto the carrying apparatus of the roller, there is no contact between the protective container and the roller. The protective container has recesses in its container wall for holding the carrying apparatus of the roller which has an inside width, which compared to the assigned outside diameter of the carrying apparatus, is predetermined such that the protective container with its recesses can be placed on the carrying apparatus by clamping. There is, moreover, a transport container in which the protective container provided with the roller can be manually inserted and removed. In the transport container there is provided a device for securing the protective container and the roller.
Feasibly there is moreover a transport container in which the protective container provided with the roller can be manually inserted and removed, in the transport container there being means for securing the protective container and the roller.
The invention moreover relates to a copying machine or an electrophotographic printer with an replaceable roller which has on its two axial ends one carrying handle at a time as the carrying apparatus. The roller can be guided by the carry handle into essentially slotted openings which run radially from the outside periphery to the center axis of the bearing points, and which are located on the bearing points of the machine, can be radially inserted into the bearing points, and can be removed from them. Accordingly, it is possible to safely remove the roller from the copier without the danger of injury.
Advantageously, on the one hand the carrying handles are arranged centered to the axial center axis on the ends of the roller. The carrying handles of the roller project axially beyond the bearing points of the device and beyond the protective container. At least one of the two carrying handles of the roller has an arrangement for axial and radial centering and guiding of the roller in its bearing points in the machine. At least one of the two carrying handles of the roller has a guide on the roller for axial and radial centering and guidance of a protective container which may be present.